Integrated circuit devices are usually marked with various identifying information, such as device type, production date, manufacturer and so forth. Such marking is often formed directly on the integrated circuit die, for example, by etching alphanumeric characters into the substrate or oxide layer. Unfortunately, once the die is encapsulated within an opaque package housing, the on-die marking is no longer visible. Consequently, unless the desired information is printed on the package housing, the package may need to be disassembled to access the on-die information. Even when the desired information is printed on the device housing, visual inspection is still typically required to recover the information and may be difficult or impractical due to the mounting orientation of the device (e.g., print-side down), inaccessibility of the device within a system, or inaccessibility of the system itself.
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawing figures.